North Korea adds its 2nd naval destroyer as US, South Korea and Japan hold military exercise

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 6, (AP): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un put his second naval destroyer into service and called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent, state media reported Monday, as the US, South Korea and Japan held a trilateral military exercise he views as a security threat.

The ship's commissioning comes as North Korea is dialing up pressure on the US after rebuffing President Donald Trump's decision to scale back a major military drill with South Korea in a conciliatory step toward Kim.

Observers say North Korea wants to wrest bigger US concessions. The destroyer Kang Kon was commissioned into North Korea's navy in the eastern port city of Wonsan Sunday at a ceremony attended by Kim and his teenage daughter, whom South Korea’s spy service calls his likely heir.

North Korean state media photos showed the girl dressed in a white dress and blazer walking alongside her father on a red carpet, touring the warship and posing with sailors together.

The ship and the Choe Hyon, which was put into service in June, are both 5,000-ton destroyers that state media said can carry various conventional and nuclear weapons. Considered North Korea’s biggest and most advanced warships, the two destroyers were likely built with Russian assistance, experts say. In July, North Korea said it test-fired nuclear-capable cruise missiles from the Kang Kon.

In a speech at the ceremony, Kim said the back-to-back warship additions instilled fear in the enemies as the nuclear armament of North Korea's navy made it possible to exercise its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified, practical manner. "Concerns of the enemies will be surely deepened,” Kim said.

"We must establish more clearly a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent, to put into practice the diverse and effective operation of our nuclear combat systems and further strengthen our military activities for maritime defense and war deterrence.”

After years of prioritizing ballistic missile development, Kim has increasingly turned his focus to modernize the navy, which he admitted in Sunday’s speech lacked warships befitting its mission until a few years ago.

Outside experts said the North Korean destroyers’ weapons and radar systems would enhance its offensive and defensive capabilities. Kim said North Korea is pursuing another "significant" naval advancement that would be unveiled in eight months. Many observers say the project could be related to Kim's stated goal of acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine.